A New Past
by KellyTS
Summary: Jasper is a solider in the Confederate army and is betrothed to Maria. While evacuating civilians from an island, he finds two homeless girls from an abusive family and takes them into the protection of the army. And what happens when he meets a little pixie who is bound to change everything that he stands for? Jasper is building a past, but not the one he always imagined.
1. Chapter 1

Emmett walked out of the tent we shared, wiping a bead of sweat off his brow.

"Hey Jasper. What you doing just sitting there?"

"Waiting for you to get out of our tent." I say, eyeing the girl on his arm.

"Aw, no need to be so stiff, who is there to get mad at you out here?" He asks, "Why don't you get yourself a girl like Rose here?" He patted the stranger on the hand that was woven into him arms.

"I have a girl. Back home."

"Yeah. So does very other guy in this unit. I don't see that stopping any of them from having a bit of fun."

"Certainly not you." I mutter, brushing past him into the tent.

I like him just fine, he's probably the best friend I've had , only he doesn't feel obliged to follow any rules unless someone was holding a rifle to his head. He was a lot of fun, only he gets us in trouble a lot more often than I like.

"Major Whitlock. Colonel Cook would like to speak with you." He says, saluting me from the tent flap.

"No need to be smart just because I refuse to abandon my girl." I mutter, slapping his arm down on my way out of the tent.

I stand in front of the tent, raise my hand and salute.

"Major Jasper Whitlock reporting for duty."

"At ease." Lieutenant Cullen ordered.

I lowered my arm and widened the stance of my feet.

"This is the solider you are putting in charge of evacuating the women and children, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Colonel Cook."

"I see he is only a Major, and so young. What makes you think he is capable of this task?"

"Major Whitlock has advanced through the ranks faster than any other solider in this Brigade. He capable of tasks far more difficult than evacuations. I feel very confident that he can successfully evacuate the island."

"What makes you think you have the authority to appoint him? Being a Lieutenant Colonel, you aren't even fit to be in charge of a Regiment, let alone such an important one."

"I feel Major Whitlock is ready. He has impressive accomplishments and has been one of our best soldiers from the start. And one of our Texan soliders can fight like ten Yankees, but Jasper here can fight like a hundred. If any one man in the army were to be put in charge of our civilians, I would choose him over any other."

Colonel Cook nods and circles around me.

"Fine. Major Whitlock, you are given four days to evacuate all the women, children, injured, and other civilians from the island before Union soliders move in off the _Harriett Lane._"

"Yes sir." I respond.

"They will be under Commander Wainwright. I trust you to command an escort to guide them to the mainland."

"Yes sir." I salute.

"You are dismissed, Major Whitlock and Lieutenant Cullen."

We both give a final salute as he walks off. Carlisle turns to me.

"Now don't make a fool of me Jasper." He says, jokingly punching my arm.

I smile and hold open the tent flap for him. He nods and walks in.

"Well congratulations Jasper Boy. Who would'a thought the three of us would be in the same regiment, you two all high and mighty with titles and awards and all while I stand right next to you fighting without getting a single promotion?"

"Me." Cullen and I say at the same time.

He holds a hand to his heart, feigning hurt.

"Now why would you say that?"

"Because you manage to ruin every weapon you touch and have made a fool of every one of your commanding officers."

He glares at me.

"You can't prove anything."

"But I still remember that skunk in my tent." Carlisle responds.

"And I don't think I could ever forget you painting my name on the flag the night after I got promoted to Major."

"Or when he poured vinegar in the Colonel's water barrel."

"Or poured boot-leg all over your first private tent and set it on fire."

"Or put our cots on the roof of the custom's building."

"Or hid a hog in the-"

"You don't know that was me!" He cut us off.

We look at each other.

"_We _do, but we can't prove it. We grew up with you. No one else is stupid enough to pour a pound of mustard seed in the stew that _everyone _had to eat. Including himself." I joke, reaching for a brown bottle on the floor next to his cot.

"Hey, that's mine." He pouts, grabbing it from my hand. "You don't even drink."

I snatch it back and pour some in a cup.

"Whiskey, Carlisle?"

"Don't mind if I do." He reaches for the cup where I hold it out of Emmett's reach.

I cork the bottle and toss it to him; he catches it in one hand and tucks it under his arm.

"My, my. Is this yours Major Whitlock?" He fakes shock.

"No sir. It's Private McCarty's."

"Private. You should know better than to bring alcohol into this camp. We will have to confiscate this immediately." He smirks, turning to leave as Emmett scrambles after him, trying to take the bottle back.

I barely contain a smile as I follow after him with a pitcher of ice tea.

We go into the officer's tent where he can't follow and sit at a table with our drinks and a paper.

"Whiskey?" Carlisle offers.

"You know I don't drink." I push away the bottle and pour myself a glass of iced tea, lifting the paper.

"Mmm. I thought you'd change your mind when the coffee rations ran out." He mumbles, setting down the bottle next to him.

I swallow the contents of the glass in a few gulps and drop the paper without even reading it.

"When does the evacuation period start?"

"Midnight."

I flip open the face of my watch and frown.

"It's two already."

"Well looks like you just lost your head start." He jokes.

I glare at him.

"Don't be mad at me. That genius Cook didn't even tell me about the evacuation until past one, then bothered me with all sorts of formalities before he finally agreed to see you. Be glad Emmett didn't say anything in front of him or else we wouldn't even start the evacuation until after them yanks had already attacked."

I nod but walk out.

"The rest of the escorts under your command are meeting here at sun-up." He calls after me.

"That'll take too long. Give me their names now, we're going to start assembling and posting the notices."

"We have some privates and civilians posting notices throughout the city already."

"You said they were under my command?" I ask.

"Completely."

"Then they can get their lazy asses out of bed and help. I don't care their rank, they are going to do whatever they can and then some."

He smiles and hands me a list of names and tent numbers.

"I don't think I've ever heard you cuss before Jasper."

I look back at him.

"I don't think I've ever heard you go an hour without cursing someone and their mother to hell and back."

"Touche."

With that I left the tent and made my way down the rows of tents to collect my soldiers. When someone asked why I didn't have someone wake them for me I asked why I shouldn't.

"If someone is incapable of waking people up then I don't want _them_ watching _my _back in any battle."

That turned them around right fast.

After assembling our men, I had about fifty to make up a proper platoon. When I passed around the notices and sent them out to post them throughout the city, a few grumbles rose from the crowd.

"If you can't paste a piece of paper to a wall then why should I trust you to hold a musket? We could send you the doctor to see if it is injury preventing you from doing a proper job, or just mental incompetence." I threat.

They all shut their mouths but continue to glare at me before being dismissed to their duties.

-0-

I take my share of announcements and mount my horse, Ross, and head to the opposite side of the island.

When I get to my assigned area, I take the paste and start putting up the announcements on walls and posts. As I walk through the nearly deserted streets I notice a couple of kids sitting in the corner of an alley, huddled together. I dismount and walk over to them.

"You should be getting home, it's very late, your mothers will be missing you."

They don't respond, just crawl deeper into the shadows.

"An evacuation is starting. Tell your parents there will be four days to evacuate the island."

One wraps two shaky, skinny arms around the other and pulls him in to his shoulder. Their short hair is matted and tangled, covered in dirt and mud and sweat.

"Are you all right?" I ask, kneeling down next to them.


	2. Chapter 2

They bury their faces in their tattered jacket.

"It's alright, I won't hurt you." I whisper, reaching out a hand.

One lets out a shriek as I touch his shoulder and they both recoil into a tight little ball.

"It's fine. I'm trying to help you." I whisper, scooping them both up out of the trash. "Where are your parents?"

"Gone." The older looking one whispers.

"Are they dead?"

"No. Gone. They left us." He mutters, pulling who I assume is his brother back into his arms.

I frown at the fact that any parent would desert their child, especially at such a time.

"Come here." I say as gently as I can.

I gently pry them apart and life the younger one into my arms, taking the older one's hand.

"No!" The older one cries, clawing at my arms and face, trying to grab his brother.

"Shh, it's alright. I'm a solider, trust me. I'm trying to help you."

"Get away from us!" He screams.

The younger one starts crying and reaching for his brother. I set him down, but keep an arm around both of them.

"It's fine. I won't hurt you. Just come with me back to the base."

"NO!" He shouts again.

"You have to trust me. I can keep you safe."

I lift the younger one again and walk the last few paces to my horse, setting him on the saddle, keeping one hand behind him so he won't fall off.

"No! No! Leave us alone! Leave us alone!" The older one shouts.

"Please, come with. I need to be back by sun-up to start assembling the first escort."

He looks at my uniform for the first time, scanning me up and down.

"Look, I'm a major. I'm in charge of escorting all civilians off the island, including you." I point to the insignia on my shoulder.

He looks warily at me again, but when I lift him onto the horse he doesn't resist.

I position his arms around his brother, and put his hands on the saddle horn.

"Here, hold on like this."

He nods and I grab the bridle and lead the horse back through the streets.

At a point we come to a narrow foot bridge, only wide enough for one at a time. I come back next to them and put one arm around them as I grip the horn and swing up behind them.

I take the reins from the boys and give them a light flick, signaling Ross to walk.

At the sudden start the younger boy jerks forward and starts to slip beneath my arm. I grip my boots into the stirrups and reach out with both arms to catch him. I right him on the horse and start again, slower.

"Sorry." He murmurs, shrinking back into his brother's embrace.

My brow furrows.

"What reason do you have to be sorry? It was my fault you nearly fell."

He cranes his head around to look at me, biting his lip.

"Here, just hold on, it's fine." I wrap his hands around the saddle horn, wrapping mine around his.

We cross the bridge and finish the ride into camp uneventfully. By the time we are back, the sun is coming up and most of my soldiers heave returned.

"Eh, Jasper! Never told me you had a kiddies. Let's see, how old is Maria again? Those two couldn't be her's. Tsk-tsk. Jasper. You knew you were engaged, what were you doing with another woman?" Emmett shouts across the camp.

"It's Major Whitlock to you. Go get Lieutenant Cullen, ask him to meet me at our tent in ten minutes." I command.

He glares at me, probably displeased that I didn't react better to his comment, but goes to the Lieutenant's tent.

I dismount and help them down, tying Ross up to the hitching post and unbuckling the saddle, setting it next to him.

Carrying the younger one- who looks on the brink of exhaustion- I guide them to the communal fire where a pot of hot grain is bubbling.

Taking three cups from the cook, I sit us down on a makeshift bench, holding the younger boy up between his brother and I, then return for the saddle, setting it behind me.

"Well, I'm going to need some explanations. I need something to tell my commanding officer."

They look at me, wordless.

"Are you tired?"

I look to the sky, the sun is almost halfway past the horizon and I haven't had a wink of sleep.

The younger one nods, but the older one just looks to the ground, holding his brother protectively.

"After you finish eating I'll take you to my tent, you can rest there while we gather people for the evacuation."

The older one's head shoots up, panic flashing through his eyes.

"It's fine, no one'll hurt you."

He looks down, but panic is still coursing through his veins, every muscle in his body is stiff.

They both gobble up the grain so fast that I pour the rest of my helping between the two cups, causing them to look up, wide eyed.

"For us?" The younger one whispers.

"Yes, I ate with some friends right before going out earlier, I'm not very hungry."

He looks at me in disbelief for a second more before pouring the rest of the grain down his throat, as if afraid I would say 'just kidding' and take it back if he didn't eat fast enough.

"Follow me, I'll show you where the tent is."

The reaction of the older one is once again, unmentioned panic, but he stands and reaches down to help his brother up as I take the cups back to the cook. When I get back, the younger one has one arm slung over his brother shoulder, with his knee bent so he won't have to walk on that foot.

"Are you injured?"

"No. I'm fine." He replies too quickly.

"No, you aren't. What happened to that foot?"

"Nothing. It's fine."

I squat down to be at eye level with him.

"It's fine, nothing is wrong with admitting you're hurt. I'll send for the camp doctor."

"No, it just got caught between some rocks at the beach while I was running. I'll be fine. It'll be better soon."

"I would still like to have the doctor look at it."

"We can't pay for it." The older one chimes in, a look of pain across his face as he looks at his brother's foot.

"I'll put you under my name, the Army doctor will do it for free."

"Are you sure?" he whispers

"Yes, it's fine."

"We wouldn't want you to get in trouble..."

"He's an old friend of mine, he won't care."

He looks up, biting his lip, but nods.

"Private Saunders." I call to the nearest idle solider.

"Major Whitlock, Sir."

"Run and get Doc Mason for me, please. Send him to my tent."

"Yes sir." He hurries off to the Doctor's tent.

I lean over and lift the boy into my arms, wrapping his legs around my middle. His brother cringes, but doesn't say anything. I hold the saddle under my arm and lead the way to my tent, the other brother trailing close on my heels.

I set the younger one on my cot and gesture for the other to take a seat on Emmett's.

"What are your names?"

"I'm Al, this is my brother Samuel." The older one says.

"As you probably figured out, I'm Major Jasper Whitlock. You can call me Jasper."

I nod and try to think of some other topic of conversation that would be acceptable.

Luckily, the doctor comes in shortly after, carrying his bag, a nervous look across his face.

When he looks around the tent, his expression relaxes, then furrows in confusion, glancing between me and the two children.

"When I heard that I was supposed to come to your tent I thought it was another gunpowder accident with Private McCarty... but... who are these two?"

"I found them while I was putting up evacuation postings. Brothers, Al and Samuel." I nod to them respectively as I say their names. "The younger one is injured, his foot."

"Which one?"

"Right."

Mason kneels down next to the cot, examining the child's bare foot.

"Yes, well it appears that the ankle is sprained, but nothing too severe. It should be better withing a few days, a week or two maximum."

"Thank you," I nod to him, already on his way out to the next tent.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Carlisle's voice shouts from outside the tent, just as the flap closes behind the doctor.

"That it would be funny." Emmett snickers

"And damn funny it'll be when I'm through with you!" He shouts, coming through the flap.

He freezes, glancing between me and the boys.

"Uh..."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you about Jasper's kiddies." Emmett chuckles, pushing past him into the tent.

"Could you two please try to watch your language?"

"Uhm... yeah... yes. Of course I will. Sorry, I didn't realize there were children here." He steps in the rest of the way, "I'm sorry I-"

"Carlisle-"

"No, really, I-"

"Carlisle-"

"Honestly-"

"Carlisle! What are you wearing?"

He turns beet red and Emmett's shoulders shake with silent laughter.

"They're Rosalie's." Emmett manages between chuckles. "And that, is why you don't take away my whiskey. I get irritable."

"It wasn't even whiskey! It was boot-leg!"

"What happened?" I ask, muttering into my hand.

"Well, I went to sleep, and wake up to find both my uniforms soaked in moonshine and set on fire right outside my tent, the only other clothes in my tent being a pair of woman's bloomers."

Emmett's silent laughter breaks into an all out, booming, ringing laugh through the whole camp.

I reach under Emmett's bed, pulling out his extra uniform and tossing it to Carlisle.

"Wait! No no no no no! Wait! No! That's the only extra uniform I have!"

"Too bad." Carlisle mutters.

I grab my extra shirt and set it on my bed.

I smirk at Emmett as I shrug off my shirt.

A flash of movement catches my eye and I glance to the side to see the older of the two brothers turning bright red, staring at me, eyes widening with what seemed to be terror. He quickly looked to the floor, turning a darker red.

I slide into my other shirt and button it up as Carlisle does the same with Emmett's. He slips off the pink bloomers and steps into the other pair while Emmett sulks on his cot.

I drop onto mine as I do the last few buttons, and look to Samuel, who is being held in his brothers lap. Both of the boys are blushing and looking to the floor.

"I'm going to go to the medical tent and ask Mason if there are any spare uniforms. I'll be right back." I announce.

-0-

I arrive back at the tent with three white shirts and three pairs of trousers, two substantially smaller than the other.

"Emmett, I found you an extra set of clothes. Not a uniform, but you can wear it around the camp." I toss him his set and turn to the brothers. "And they are going to be a bit big, but I think they'll do for now." I say, setting the two extra sets on the foot of the cot the brothers are on. "You should probably change now, then get some sleep. One of you can have Emmett's cot-"

"HEY!" He pouts.

"Take one for the team buddy." Carlisle claps him on the shoulder.

He glares up at me from his cot, but eventually gets off it and leaves the tent, muttering something about me needing to be more careful when I'm with women.

This makes both the boys blush again, Al biting his lip.

"So, yeah, get dressed, get some sleep, and Lieutenant Cullen and I will figure out what we will do for your long term arrangements."

They sit there and stare at my with worried eyes.

"What's wrong?" I ask, reaching under Emmett's bed for his other boots.

"Well... uhm..."

I find the boots and toss them to Carlisle. He catches them and starts to undo to laces, sitting on Emmett's bed.

"Could you leave for a minute?"

I look at Al for a second, the back to Carlisle.

"It's fine to change in front of us you know... every one has to get dressed with someone else at some point." Carlisle says.

"We uh..."

Carlisle pulls a pair of socks from the boots and pulls them on.

"We aren't brothers... we uh..."

I turn to look at them, my brow furrowed in confusion.

"We're uh... well... we're sisters." Al whispers, though I assume that isn't her real name.

"I'm Alyssa. This is Samantha, my little sister."


	3. Chapter 3

"Oh... uh..." Carlisle stutters.

I immediately take my hat from my head and stand up, he soon follows suit.

"Oh... god... uh... sorry." He mutters, ducking from the tent.

"Uhm... in that case... I can go see about getting you dresses."

Alyssa looks up, biting her lip, looking on the verge of tears.

"Aren't you mad?"

"Well... shocked, yes. Surprised, defiantly. But not mad. Why would I be mad?"

She holds her sister in her lap, leaning over her protectively. Now, looking closer, I can identify hits of curves at the older one's waist that the baggy clothes had masked before.

"Because I lied to you."

"For good reason. You stand a much better chance on the streets if you look like boys, but you're fine here, no one will try to... uh... bother you."

Alyssa blushes again, though not as deeply as before.

"So, would you rather see if we could find you two dresses?"

"Where would there be dresses at an army camp?"

"I know someone who may have some. I'm not sure if they'll fit very well though."

She nods, looking down at her sister.

I lean over and scoop Samantha into my arms, one arm under her knees, the other her back.

"Come on, let's see what we can find."

She silently gets up and follows behind me, out the flap and into the street.

"Emmett!" I shout across the camp to the mess unit.

"I swear, I didn't do it!" He calls back, jogging over to our tent. "You can't prove anything."

"Emmett," I sigh, "I-"

"Really, you can't."

"I don't care about that right now Emmett. I just need to know where Rosalie is."

He smirks, a billion comments swimming through his mind.

"Don't even think of saying any of those."

He glares at me.

"I dropped her off in the mess tent last night. She's probably sleeping though, we got back pretty late."

"Okay, thanks Emmett. And, by the way, it was you and I can prove it."

"Wait, wait, what's that supposed to mean? I didn't leave any evidence. You can't prove anything."

I start walking away, as he stands at the entrance of the tent, fuming about how he's sure he didn't leave any evidence.

"Miss Rosalie?" I call into the tent. and I set Samantha

I look around and see her sleeping on a cot in the corner of the mess tent, a makeshift wall blocking her view from the entrance. There is an extra cot on the other side of the tent and I set Samantha on it, then walk over to where Rosalie is sleeping.

"Excuse me, Rosalie, wake up."

I shake her shoulder. Her eyes slide open and she gasps, sitting straight up, he blanket falling to her waist. I feel my face turn red and turn my back to her, taking several steps away from her. Noticing her condition she screams and presumably pulls the blanket up over her.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry Miss." I stutter.

She mumbles something unintelligible, then asks me to hand her the dress on the cot next to Samantha, who is looking down at the floor along with her sister. I hold it behind my back and she takes it.

"Excuse me, Miss, but in a camp full of men, why did you decide to go to sleep without clothes."

"Ask Emmett." Is all she says.

I close my eyes and let out a long breath, running my hand over my eyes and down my chin.

"Would you like me to tell him to leave you alone?"

"No. I don't mind Emmett. It's Laurent you need to talk to. He doesn't know how to take no for an answer."

"I'm sorry, I will."

"You're Jasper, right? You're the man who shares a tent with Emmett?"

"Yes, I've known him since we were children."

"Mmm."

She walks around to stand in front of me, looking from me, to the children, then back to me.

"Who are they?"

"Alyssa and Samantha. I found them while posting notices for the evacuation. I was wondering if you had any spare dresses they could borrow?"

"Uh, yeah. How old are they?"

I look to them, unsure.

"I'm twelve, my sister is eight." Alyssa says.

Rosalie nods, looking at Alyssa.

"I have a few dresses a bit small on me. I think I know one that will fit you."

She pulls a trunk out from under her cot and flips it open, fishing through it's contents until she pulls out a pale pink dress with a sage ribbon around the waist and two hair ribbons the same color. She holds it up in front of her, nodding to herself and setting it on the cot, latching the trunk and sliding it back in place.

"And I have a daughter about your age, I think her dresses will fit you." She looks a Samantha.

"You have a daughter?" I ask, unaware of this.

"Who's cot do you think this is?" She asks, patting the bed Samantha is on.

"Oh, uh... she's here? At this camp?"

"Yes, she's in town right now though, she spends most of her time there with some old friends of mine. I don't necessarily want her around some of the men here if you know what I mean."

"Uh... yeah."

She pulls a trunk out from under her daughter's cot and looks through it. It is filled with dresses and dolls and ribbons and a slate and chalk. Even for a well off child, she had more stuff than most her age. Rosalie must have noticed me looking in the trunk and offered an explanation.

"Gifts. Mostly from Emmett. He loves her."

I nod, but wonder when he's even met her if she spends so little time at camp that even the commanding officers didn't know about her.

"Here, this should fit." She pulls out a pink dress covered in little flowers.

I go around the makeshift wall and look outside so they can change. I guess they must have thought I had left, because shortly after Rosalie asked what the girls thought of me.

"He seems nice." Alyssa says.

"Nice is an understatement. He could have any girl on the island but he wouldn't even consider it. Not for a second."

"Why not?"

"Maria. They're supposed to get married. When he gets back from the war he's supposed to propose to her."

"What do you mean supposed to?"

"Their parents planned it all out. They've basically been engaged since they were like five."

A heavy silence follows. Before Samantha asks for help standing. A few minutes later the three of them come around the corner of the wall.

"Oh, uh... Major Whitlock. I didn't know you were still there."

"You can call me Jasper."

"Were you, uh... listening?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Oh."

"Is it true?" Samantha asks.

"Samantha." Her sister scolds.

"It's fine. It's true. Our parent's made a deal before we were born. I've never met her, she's from Tennessee."

"If she's from Tennessee then how did your parent's know them?" Rosalie asked.

"We're cousins. I'm assuming that Emmett told you about her?"

"Yes, he obviously didn't say much though."

"Yeah, well, our mother's were pregnant at the same time but both with boys. Technically it was supposed to be first born son and daughter from each family, but my mother died a few hours after I was born and Maria's mother had three boys before she was born. She's five year's younger than me. I was supposed to propose when she was fourteen, but I was here."

"She's only _fourteen_?" Rosalie asks.

"Um, yeah. I don't intend to marry her until she's sixteen, but our parent's had something in the agreement about the engagement. I'm supposed to propose as soon as possible."

"I'm sorry." Rosalie says, patting my shoulder.

"No, it's fine. I intend to go through with it. A promise was made on my behalf, even if I didn't know about it."

Maria. My fiance who I had never met. I fully intend to marry her once she has turned sixteen, but I'm not so sure if she wishes the same of me. She doesn't necessarily have the power to call off the wedding, but I do. The honorable thing to do would be to go through with it as I plan to, but if she would rather marry someone else then I don't want her to feel obliged- though technically she is.

"Can you walk?" I ask Samantha, trying to change the subject.

"I don't know. When I'm holding on to someone I can."

"Do you think you could make it back to the tent?"

"I'm not sure."

"Do you want to try?"

"Yes sir."

I hold her under the arm and start at a slow pace in the direction of my tent. After a few steps Rosalie rushes up behind me, grabbing me by the shoulder, yanking me to a stop.

"Wait, here, this is for you." She bends over and puts a doll in Samantha's hand.

It is fabric, not china, but it looks well made and it had a beautiful face painted on it and long, dark hair made of yarn. Deffinatly homemade, but done very well.

"Thank you!" She hops up and gives Rosalie a hug around the neck.

Rosalie hug's back, lifting her into the air and setting her back down on her good foot. I take her by the arm again and we hobble off to the tent Emmett and I share.

"Alyssa, you can have my cot, and you can take Emmett's, Samantha. I'll see about some slightly more permanent arrangements. I may be able to get an extra tent for y'all so you won't have to cram in there with Rosalie and her daughter."

They don't say anything, but each sit on their respective cots.

"I'll leave you be, y'all should probably get some sleep. I need to go see about the first evacuation train, I'll be back by lunch though."

"Yes sir Major Whitlock." Alyssa says.

"I told you you could call me Jasper."

"I-I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

I drop the flap of the tent and turn to look at her.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a minute?"


	4. Chapter 4

"Yes sir, what is it?"

"I need something to tell Carlisle, he'll be wondering about why you're here, as I am. What should I tell him?"

"Well... um... our parents left."

"Yes, you said that earlier, could you tell me a bit more though?"

"Well... we were..."

I sat cross-legged at the foot of her cot and looked her in the eyes.

"When that ship started coming here and the rumors were spreading about a Yankee attack they left for the mainland and left us here."

"Really?"

"Uh... yes sir."

I took one of her little hands in mine.

"Honestly?"

"Uhm..."

"I won't be mad at you. I promise."

A few seconds pass and I give her hand a light squeeze.

"You are welcome to stay here as long as you need to, no matter why you aren't with your parents."

"We left." She whispers.

"You left?"

"Yes sir. We left."

"Why?"

"Well... after our mother died our father was... well..." She glances to her sister, then back at me. "Not so nice to say the least. And then when there were rumors of an attack and he started packing up to evacuate, I grabbed Samantha and left."

I nod silently.

"Would you like to take a walk real quick?" I ask.

She nods and stands, then follows me out the tent. I tip my head in the direction of the beach. We go down the dirt path through the tall grasses that prick and slice at you arms and legs, then down to the shore.

I sit on the sand and look out over the horizon, the morning sun still dancing across the water. I start unlacing my boots and gesture for her to sit next to me.

"What did you want to say back there?"

"It's fine, I shouldn't be telling you this anyways."

"I need something to tell Carlisle, he's actually really serious when he's not around Emmett, and right now it's looking like I just helped you run away because you didn't like your family."

She sighed, then pulled her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her legs to keep her skirt down in the wind.

"He was... he was hitting her. And me, but I didn't really care. She's only eight. You've got to understand. And, hitting me wasn't the worst he was doing to me any ways."

I re-position on the warm sand to look at her, my brow furrowed in confusion.

"He was... uh..."

"Touching?" I ask tentatively.

"Yes." She mumbles into her knees.

I pat a hand on her shoulder, and she looks up, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I-I-I'm sorry." She stutters through tears.

"It's fine, don't worry about it." I whisper back.

She lets out another chocked sob and flings her arms around my neck. She buries her head into my shoulder and lets out tiny little rivers of tears. I drape my arms gently over her back, which wracked with sobs.

"I-I-I-I" She hiccups.

"It's alright. You don't have to say anything."

She unclasps her hands and looks up at me to meet my gaze.

"Sorry." She sniffles, trying to compose herself.

"It's fine. I don't care if you need to cry."

She turns slightly so that we are both facing the sunrise and her head is rested on my shoulder. I relax my arm over her shoulders, holding her in a careful embrace.

"Sometimes, people crack not because they are weak, but because they have been strong for too long." I say softly, quoting what my father had told me once when I was little.

I had been playing with Emmett and he had accidentally set off a round and a piece of hot shrapnel had gone into my leg. We were ten. I had a somewhat... unconventional childhood.

She looks at me and lets out a short chuckle.

"I wish. I couldn't even get us off the island."

"It isn't your fault your sister sprained her ankle."

"It is my fault that we were running over those boulders in the dark. I should have gone a different route. It was dark and uneven and wet and-and-and... and it was my fault. It's my fault we are stuck here."

"You can leave anytime you want. I can't make you stay with us, though I would highly suggest staying with us until we can get you in a group leaving for the mainland."

"Even if Samantha could walk on her own, I doubt we would make it very far. We don't have any money or means of making any, we're too small to be of any use to anyone in the fields. We're basically useless."

"Don't talk like that."

"It's true. What would you do?"

"Well, in your position, I would stay with the army at least until Samantha's foot is better, then I would see about getting a job at a sewing shop or something in town."

She nods.

"Do you think they would take us?"

"It's worth a shot."

She relaxes, leaning completely against me.

"Thanks."

"What for?"

"You know what."

I lift her to her feet and pick up my boots, taking her hand in mine. We walk to the shore and the water laps around my ankles, then recedes back into the Gulf of Mexico.

"A storm is coming." Alyssa says.

"How do you know?"

"The water. Normally the rise and fall of the waves isn't so dramatic. The sky is a grayish color though, not red. Red would be a big storm, like a hurricane or a tropical storm. It's probably just a thunderstorm. It'll pass." She explains.

"How did you know that?"

She shrugs.

"I grew up here. You just figure some stuff out on your own. But the storm thing is common knowledge on the coast."

I smile and watch as another wave comes in from the gulf, watching it rush over my feet, soaking the bottom half of my pants in salty, sandy water.

"If you had an option after the war, would you come back here?"

"If I could find work, then yes. It's where I grew up, I love it here. The beach is like home. You can feel the sun on your cheeks, the sand in your toes and the mist on your face. It's like the whole place is just saying 'Hello, how are you?' You know?"

"Yes. That's exactly what it is. I grew up in Houston, and this is the first time I've ever been on a beach, it's wonderful."

"Houston?"

"Yes."

"Isn't that place like, a swamp?"

"More so marsh, but yes, mostly."

"A lot of mosquitoes?"

"Yes, defiantly more than here."

"There are even fewer on the beach because the wind blows them away."

"Maybe _I_ should move out here."

"Maybe so."

"I'm not sure what Maria would think of it though. I know she doesn't particularly like heat, but with the breeze this is much better, don't you think?"

"How do you know what she thinks of heat?"

"We write to each other. Every summer she mentions how hot it is, though I'm pretty sure it's hotter here. That's why I was planning to move there, since I don't have much family here in the first place."

She nods, dragging her feet through the loose wet sand and turning it up with her toes. As the sand settles there are twenty or thirty of these tiny little pink and purple shells, then after a second or two, they start digging back down into the sand.

"Woah!"

She smiles, looking at my face that must reflect my awe.

"Butterfly clams. When they die, their shells open up and they look like butterflies."

"They're alive?"

"Yes, so are sand dollars."

"I've heard of those before, what are they?"

"Little circular shells, they're kinda' fragail but they are everywhere. The hard part is finding a whole one before you step on it. Someone said that when they are alive they are blue and purple and pink, but I've never seen a live one." She bends over and brushed the sand off a little patch of ground to reveal a little tan disk with something that looked like a flower in the middle. "Here's one." She reaches to pick it up but when she lifts it only half of it is whole, the rest is shattered. "Or the rest of one at least."

"These things used to live?"

"I don't know, I've never seen one alive but some people swear that it's true, they've seen it in books."

"They must be really pretty when they are alive."

"I suppose they would be." She mumbles.

"Let's head back up to the camp, you need to get some rest."

She looks up at me, swinging her head in a way that made her short cropped hair swish in front of her eyes. She blows it away.

"You have to?"

"Yes, I just barely got the assignment in the first place, and I have a particularly grumpy Colonel who would love to yank it away along with several ranks." I shake my head, sitting back on the sand and pulling on the boots over my wet slacks.

"Oh. I'm sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, it's fine. The first group of escorts won't even be ready for a few more hours, I just need to call roll for my men."

"Major Whitlock-"

"I told you you could call me-"

I'm cut off by a huge wave splashing down on my, soaking me to the bone.

I bite my lip and slide on my last boot, tying it off below the knee and standing up, turning slowly to Alyssa.

"Yes?"

"There's... uh... um... there was a wave coming."

"Yes." I chuckle, "I noticed. Thank you for the advanced warning." I manage through laughs.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry." She stammers nervously.

"It's fine." I smile, pulling my soggy hat off.

We turn to walk back up the path, me swinging the wet hat by my side.

"I'm not going to hurt you." I say, after a few minutes of silence.

Her eyes flick up to my face, then quickly back at the ground.

"I won't. I promise."

She mumbles something I can't understand.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"It was nothing. Sorry."

"It's fine, you don't have to tell me." I lean over and take her hand in mine, walking next to her as we push the grasses away.

"I said that a promise isn't worth anything if you're drunk."

"I'm not drunk."

"No, I mean when you're drunk, a promise you made before doesn't matter to you. Our father... he used to drink. A lot."

"I don't drink."

"Ever?"

"No. I drank a bit of moonshine from a neighbor's still when I was little and I had a hangover for a week. I haven't drunk since."

"Why did you drink moonshine from a still? Everyone knows that you aren't supposed to drink it before it is done, or else it keeps fermenting your stomach and you just have a hangover longer."

"Well. I learned that one the hard way thanks to Emmett."

"Emmett?"

"Yeah, you met him earlier, I've known him for longer than I can remember, and he's been getting us in trouble for longer."

"How?"

"Putting a flaming trash can in the middle of a road. Painting all the pages in the school books over with black ink that he stole from the general store."

"You stole ink?"

"He did. I wasn't involved in that one, but I still couldn't sit right for a week."

She lets out a quick little laugh.

"It's not that funny. He got us kicked out of school for a week and for that my daddy whipped me. I didn't even know he'd done it until the teacher called us out of the class."

"I-I-I-I'm sorry." She freezes in she middle of pushing aside an armful of grass.

I kneel down next to her, crouching at her eye level.

"Alyssa, it's fine. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not mad. Don't worry about it. I was just joking."

She forces a grin and starts on through the grass again.

"I just didn't see you as the type of person to get into trouble."

"I'm not. Emmett is."

"He was that really big one who came in the tent earlier, right?"

"Yes, and the other was Carlisle. He's also an old friend of ours. He's the oldest, twenty-three. Then Emmett is twenty, and I'm nineteen. Carlisle practically raised Emmett. His mother died in childbirth and though he had three older brothers, they didn't want anything to do with him, and his father worked a lot. Carlisle is the one who would yell at him about his grades and tell him not to throw rocks at the birds."

She giggled and turned to look at me.

"Throw rocks at birds?"

"Yes, if you throw stuff and Mourning Doves, no matter how close you get, they won't fly away. He hit them a few times and killed them and Carlisle yelled at him."

"Who does that?"

"Emmett."

We clear the grass and walk back into the camp where Emmett is, once again, waiting. When he sees us he nearly chokes on moonshine he is downing.

"He's a she?" He sputters through the alcohol dripping down his chin.

Alyssa looks down and brushes the toe of her boot against the other.

"Aw shit, Carlisle is gonna have it out for you!"

"He knows. And watch your mouth McCarty."

I snatch the bottle away and empty it on the ground, dropping the bottle next to him.

"Carlisle knows? And let them stay?"

"He let Rosalie stay? Didn't he?"

"Well, yes, that's different though."

"Alyssa, you should go get some sleep. Remember where the tent is?" She nods. "I'll be there in a few hours for lunch, try and get some sleep."

She walks off down the worn path to the barracks with a bright blush on her cheeks.

"And how is it different Emmett?"

"Well... you know."

"How's about you explain it anyways solider?"

"Look, Rose is an adult. She has means of making money and can take care of herself. You just took in two orphaned little girls. What are we supposed to do with them?"

"That's exactly it, Rosalie _can _take care of herself, no matter exactly how legal her 'means of making money' is. They can't. And what am I supposed to do? Bring them here, then, when we find out they aren't boys say 'Nope, never mind, we don't want you here.' Is that what you want?"

"You should have known."

"When you see two starving kids on the street, is the first thing through your mind to question them on their gender?"

He sets his jaw and turns on his heel, picking up the bottle at his feet in the process, and stalks away.


	5. Chapter 5

After leaving Emmett, I went to assemble the soldiers that would be coming with the first escort. I left about ten behind to gather the next group, and organized who would be going in the first group. The people who had shown up by then were mostly the older couples and singles who didn't have much to pack or deal with before the attack.

As promised, I arrived at the tent at noon with three servings of bread and a flask of water. When I walked into the tent though, they were sound asleep.

"Alyssa. Alyssa, wake up, it's lunch time." I whisper, gently shaking her shoulder.

Her eyes fly open and she screeches, flailing out for a second, before realizing it was me.

"Oh, uh, sorry sir. I was, uh..."

"Nightmares?"

"Yeah." She sighs.

"It's fine. Bread?" I offer.

She reaches out and takes a piece before sitting next to her sister and shaking her awake. I hand her another slice and sit back on Emmett's cot.

"Water?"

"Thanks." Samantha says softly, taking the flask and nodding back a few gulps.

"So... you are welcome to stay here as long as you need." I try desperately to make conversation.

"Yes sir. Thank you." Alyssa says, picking at a piece of lint on her skirt.

An awkward silence follows and grows until I feel I need to break it again.

"You should probably meet Carlisle a bit more formally, and there are a few other people you need to be introduced to."

"Like who?"

"Emmett, for one, he really is pretty nice once you know him. Then there's the doctor and the cook, and a few old friends of mine, Josh, Mathew, Al, and Devin. You can trust all of them with pretty much anything."

"Emmett?"

"Yes... well... he'll be staying with some other soldiers until we can get another tent, which may be a while. I'll be staying with Carlisle."

Alyssa nods slowly and tears off another chunk of bread.

"Do you plan to stay with the army?"

She gnaws at her lip, brushing the toe of her bare foot in circles on the dirt floor.

"Is that all right?"

"Yes, for as long as you need to. It won't be much of any trouble."

"Until I can get a job?"

"Longer, if you need to."

She forces a tiny smile in response to my offer.

"Can you read?"

Samantha shakes her head no and Alyssa bites her lip and shrugs her shoulers.

"Kind of. I know how to, but I'm not very good at it."

"Do you know arithmetic?"

"We can count and do basic addition and subtraction, but that's pretty much it."

"Have you ever been to school?"

"No sir. All I know is what my mother taught me, and I tried to teach Samantha, but I wasn't very good at it myself."

I pop the last bit of my bread into my mouth as Samantha does the same, then get up and hold the the tent flap open for them, Alyssa helping her sister. I hold out my arm and she takes it, struggling as it is on one foot. Alyssa gives a faint smile and lets go of Samantha to walk on my other side.

"Where first?"

"I was thinking Carlisle's tent."

"He was the one who came in earlier, right?" Samantha asks.

"Yes, the blond one."

"He's the commanding officer of the camp, Lieutenant Cullen, everyone calls him Carlisle though."

When we enter the tent, Carlisle is sitting on the cot, thumbing through reports.

"Ah, Jasper, how's the evacuation going?" He starts.

"Well, the first train is ready to leave tonight after dinner. I will be escorting them across the bridge, along with one platoon. Then there is a squad that will be escorting them the rest of the way while the rest of us go back to prepare for the next train. There will be one train of evacuees every night, they will leave at twenty one hundred hours and the platoon of escorts will return to the encampmet around two hundred hours."

"When will the girls be leaving?"

"Well..." I step aside and gesture for them to come in, "I'm going to leave that up to them."

"Oh, um, uh... Hello." Carlisle stutters, scrambling up from the cot and pulling his hat from his head.

"Hello Lieutenant." Alyssa mumbles, her cheeks turning an abnormal shade of red, remembering earlier today no doubt.

"You can call me Carlisle." He stumbles over each syllable.

"Uhm... thanks."

"You're Alyssa, and this is your sister Sarah? Right?"

"Samantha." She whispers.

"Oh, sorry. Samantha." He tries out the name.

"I was wondering if we could get another tent for them?"

"Oh. Well. That may be a bit of an issue. We are very low on extras, between the shortages and Emmett, I'm afraid that we don't have any extras right now. I'll make sure you get the next free one, but that's all can do. Sorry. Have you seen Rosalie yet?"

"Yes, but there is barely enough room to stand in there, let alone add two more cots."

"Oh." He rocks back on his heels and purses his lips. "You shouldn't have much of a problem getting Emmett a new tent mate, but not many want to be with a major, you know. I would love to have you with me, but we can't do that for long, Cook is already ragging on my about everything from how we serve food at mealtimes to how our horses are tied. You're welcome to my tent, but only for as long as you can keep it a secret from Cook."

"Yes sir. I'll figure something out."

"I know you will Jasper, just don't forget about the evacuation, we need to get the first group out tonight."

"Yes sir, we'll be leaving this afternoon."

I nod and excuse us to lead the girls to meet some other friends of mine.

-0-

At dinner we sit around the communal fire again and slurp up our grain.

"Eh, Jasper, who you bring into camp?" Matthew asks.

"Alyssa and her sister Samantha."

"How did you know them?"

"Orphans. Found them while I was putting up evacuation notices. By the way, girls, this is Matt."

"Childhood friend?" Alyssa asks.

"Um... well... yeah. Kinda'. He's Maria's older brother. He spent a few summers with my father and I on our ranch."

"Did you... get along?"

"Well enough. It was a bit awkward because even then the engagement had been made... so... yeah."

"Oh."

"Yeah. I'll see about bunking with Mason. He and I are pretty close and I think he has a tent to himself. Y'all can stay in my tent and Emmett will find someone." I say, swallowing the last of my grain.

"Thanks." She whispers.

"And, if you have any trouble with anyone, don't hesitate to tell me or Carlisle."

I take up their empty cups and lead them back to the tent. I pull out an extra coat and toss it into my pack.

"You're welcome anywhere in the camp, just watch out for yourselves. If it comes down to it, Emmett really is a nice guy, he's just... well... he's just him. I'll be back in a few hours, I'm coming back as soon as we are on the mainland."

"Yes sir. Thank you." Alyssa says.

"Goodbye. I'll see you later." With that I swing the pack onto my shoulder and head out to the hitching post to find Ross.

-0-

It too much longer than I thought it would to get the civilians to the mainland. I didn't get back until early the next morning, three or four.

I suck into my tent and set down the pack. Both the girls were sleeping curled up on one cot. Alyssa was holding Samantha close even in her sleep. Alyssa was shivering, despite her sister's warmth, and I layered another blanket over them. I had to admit, it was getting much cooler tonight than it had in the past few weeks.

I ran a hand through my hair, glancing around. I couldn't sleep with Carlisle tonight, I hadn't had time to ask him earlier and I figure it is rude to show up in someone's tent overnight. From the looks of it Emmett had found another buddy to tent with luckily so I headed out to the bar.

Like everything else in this camp, it was inside a tent. A miserable, rotting, white cotton tent.

"Hey there Jasper Boy! Where you been buddy? I don't see you around here often! Not often at all! Not often at all! Not often at all!" Emmett slurs, a drunken smile stretched over his face.

He patted me on the back and pulled me into a huge bear hug, sloshing his beer all over.

Technically, alcohol was banned in the camp, all the bar really served was water and the occasional glass of iced tea.

"Emmett!" I shout, taking the bottle from his hand and sliding it down the bar. It was really just a piece of wood balanced over two chairs.

"Aw, Jasper, why do you always have to be so up tight? Just have a drink."

"Emmett! I don't drink and you know that!" I grad the back of his collar and drag him out of the tent and a few paces away to where the horses are tied up.

"What? It can't hurt. I mean, worse case scenario I make an ass of myself."

I shove him, face first, into the trough of water in front of the horses.

His arms flail out before he goes limp and bubbles start trailing up to the surface at a steady pace. I let go and he falls backwards onto the ground.

"Whatchya doing that fo'? This was my last uni-uni-uni-uniform. My last uniform."

"Pull yourself together!" I shout at him.

"Oh yeah?" He laughs. "Too bad I'm drunk. Drunk as a... as a... as a really drunk guy.

"Yeah. You are." I spit.

"Aw, come on buddy, you've never gotten this worked up over something like this before... what's bothrin' ya'?"

"Nothing." I sigh, slumping down next to him, leaning on the horse trough.

"Oh, I've known you too long for that Jazzzzber. Tell me what it is."

"It's nothing. I'm fine."

"If you were fine, why were you at a bar?"

"I was getting an iced tea."

"Now don't lie to me. Wana smoke?" He offers, flipping open a package of cigarettes.

"Sure." I mutter, taking one from the pack and holding it between my lips.

He flipped open a lighter and reached up to light one for himself, but I grabbed his writs and took the lighter.

"I've got it." I say, lighting his, then mine.

"Thanks."

I take in a breathful of smoke and let it slide out between my lips.

"So. What are you doing still up?"

"I took the first caravan out today. A few people are escorting them out the rest of the way up to the safe houses."

"Mmm." He responds, taking in another puff of smoke.

"What about those girls? I saw 'em in the tent earlier and decided to just spend the night at the bar."

"You're going to need to find a friend to tent with for a while until Carlisle can get us another tent."

"Kay. What bout you? You staying in the tent with them? Eh?"

"No. I'm going to be staying with Carlisle for a while."

"I thought you had finally found a girl."

"Emmett. She's twelve."

"And I'm drunk."

"Just go to sleep."

"But this is fun! We never get to just talk like this anymore."

"Emmett-"

"No, really, admit it, you're having a good time too."

"Emmett, you-"

"I know, I know, I'm drunk, but besides that, isn't this great!"

"No, Emmett, you're burning a hole in your pants."

He looks down to where the cigarette ash had been collecting on his leg.

"Gah!" He shouts, brushing and whacking at the burning cloth. "Well damn. I thought it was getting warm out here."

Shortly after he collapsed into a deep sleep which I assume would end with a hangover. I guess I dozed off too because a few hours later the bugler was going around playing revelry.

"Emmett! Get up!" I shout into his ear.

"Who! Huh? Whaaaa?" He shouts, narrowing his eyes and glaring at me. "What was that for? You need to go to roll call. Carlisle will miss you."

"Yeah, but you being a major and all you don't gotta. I get how it is, tormenting your friend are you? But I'll get you! Yeah, I'll get back at you!" He shouts as he walks away.

I'm not sure if he was still drunk, or if this was just part of the hangover. I don't remember much about my alertness during that week that it took me to get myself straight after drinking that half-fermented brew.

I looked off towards Carlisle's tent and decide to see if he is there and if I can stay with him tonight.

"Jasper?" He asks as I walk up to the front flap.

"Yeah Carlisle?" I respond, pushing my way in the flap.

"There you are. I have the paperwork for last night's evacuation. I dealt with signing all the evacuees in but you'll need to do it for the rest of them."

"Yes sir. I was wondering if I would bunk with you fir a few nights?"

"Sure thing Jasper, did Emmett ever find a tent?"

"I'm not sure, last night he slept outside the bar."

"Don't tell me..."

"Yeah. He's hungover. Bad."

"Good god. Will you tell him to get his sorry ass in here."

I smile as I always do when he cusses. It's not that it's a particularly rare thing, it's just that he's very parental and he used to scold Emmett for cussing. I suppose he would have done the same to me, but he never really needed to.

"I'm not sure about how much control he has over his sorry ass right now, but I'll try."

"Thanks Jasper." He chuckles.

I flip through the paper work and wander into my tent where I find Alyssa, Samantha, and another girl I don't recognize sitting on the floor playing with dolls.

"Hello Jasper!" The third one says as I walk into the tent.

"Well hello, now who are you?" I ask, crouching down to her eye level.

"Anna. Anna Hale."

"Oh, so you must be Rosalie's little girl. Well it's a pleasure to finally meet you Miss, I'm Jasper, though apparently you already knew that."

"Yeah, you're the tall blond man that Emmett shares a tent with. Right?"

"That would be me. Have you seen Emmett anywhere? I thought he might be in here."

"No sir, but I think I saw Mommy talking to him last night before bed. Does that help?"

"Yes ma'am, I think it does. I'm going to finish up this paper work then head on out and see if I can't find him."

She giggles and sits back down with Alyssa and Samantha, playing with the dolls.

"Have you eaten yet?"

"No sir." Alyssa replies.

"Breakfast should still be out, come on, let's go get something to eat."

They follow silently, except Anna who stays in the tent. We each get a slice of bread and take it back to the tent with us. Samantha got two and gave the extra to Anna. I hold mine in my mouth as I thumb through the journal Carlisle gave me.

I sit on my old cot and lay open the journal. For families there was the family name, followed by the father, then mother, then any children in order of birth. If any others were with them they were mixed in with the children by order of birth. Individuals just had their own name and birth date. I go through and start counting families, children, adults, men, women, seniors, and people with special conditions. After everything has been documented, I fold up those papers and slide them into my bag.

Right before lunch time Rosalie comes into the tent, looking for Anna.

"Oh, there you are. Oh, hello Jasper, Emmett and I were going into town and were gona' spend the afternoon on the strand. Alyssa and Samantha are welcome to come with. You are too of course, I just assumed you were busy with the evacuation and all."

"Yeah, I am, Alyssa, Samantha, do you want to go with Anna and Miss Rosalie and Emmett to the strand?"

"Sure!" Samantha chirps.

"Okay, and tell Emmett that Carlisle is going to kill him."

"God, what did he do this time?" She grumbles.

"He'll know, but if I were him, I would avoid Carlisle until y'all got back tonight."

"Okay, thanks Jasper."

"Sure thing."

She takes Anna and Samantha by the hand and leads them out of the tent, Alyssa staying close by her sister's side.

That night, after I finished documenting everyone, I still had a few hours to kill before I had to lead off the next train, so I went into town to a diner I had head some friends talking about.

It was a little green place on the very edge of town, said to have the best chicken fried steak in the state, and as we all know, if chicken fried steak isn't in this state, then it's no longer chicken fried steak. It's just a piece of beef that someone fired.

"Howdy sir. Can I get you something to drink? Beer? Tea? Lemonaid?" A woman asks as I sit down at the bar.

A petite woman with short cropped hair scooted over beside me, sitting too close for a stranger.

"Um, uh, an iced tea would be great."

"Coming right up." She says, handing me a menu.

"You kept me waiting long enough." The other woman whispers in my ear.

"I'm sorry ma'am." I respond with a tip of my head.

"You're Jasper, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Major Jasper Whitlock, I do believe."

"Yes, I'm sorry ma'am, but do I know you?"

"Not yet you don't. You will soon enough though. You're taller than I thought you would be though."

"Um, excuse me-"

"Oh, my bad, I didn't introduce myself," She cuts me off. "I'm Alice. Mary Alice Brandon."

"And, how exactly do you know me?"

"I just do."

"Okay, can I get you something?"

"No thank you, I'm fine." She says as the waitress puts my tea down in front of me.

"Anything else sir?" She asks.

"No ma'am, I'm fine."

I sip on my tea as Alice makes small talk about everything from the weather to the war. When I finish, she holds out a hand that I take without hesitation. She hops off her seat and I get a good idea of how tall she really is. She can't be much taller than 5'4'', if that.

"Come on, I wana' go meet Carlisle."

"You know him."

"Sorta."

"But, let me guess, he doesn't know you?"

"Right. I also know Emmett and Rosalie and Those little girls, Alyssa and Samantha and... what's the youngest one's name? Annie? Anna? Yes, Anna I believe. And that cousin of yours... Matt. Yes, him too. Him and that sister of his, Maria. Hmph. I do _not_ like Maria. Matt, sure, he's nice and all, but Maria... no way. Not her. The entire time when we went to visit her brothers she was flirting with you! Right in front of me too! And for the entire trip. Hmph." She pouts.

"Um... excuse me, but how do you know Maria."

"Well, you see, the thing is, I can see the future."

"Okay." I say.

"Just trust me on this. Emmett is going to get his butt kicked by Carlisle when they get back to camp. He'll be on mess duty for the next month. And he raids y'all's tent and throws out all the alcohol."

"No, that's wrong, I alr-"

"You missed three bottles. One in his socks, another in the bag with his maps, and another under your cot."

"Under mine?"

"Yes. I'm surprised you've never checked there. Have a look for yourself."

"I will. So, where is Carlisle's tent? That's where you're staying, isn't it?"

"Yes ma'am, I am. It's near the edge of camp. We should be there pretty soon."

"Oh, good. Do you think Rosalie would mind if I stayed with her tonight? Or is Anna at the camp today."

"Anna was at the camp today, but I'm not sure if she's sleeping there."

"Okay, if not, do you think the girls would mind if I stayed with them?"

"I suppose not, but wouldn't your family miss you?"

"Oh, no, my mother is dead and my father sent my to the asylum since e thought I was making up the whole future seeing thingy. I'm perfectly sane though. I swear."

"I believe you. And you don't need to check in with them or anything?"

"What, the asylum? No way. An orderly helped me escape. He was nice. He was the one who administered my shock therapy."

"You had shock therapy?"

"Yeah. It hurts. A lot. I can't remember anything before the last shock. Michael, that's the orderly, says it was the same way after every shock. The pain completely brain washes you, you can't remember anything before it. Michael helped me fill in the blanks and eventually helped me break out."

"They shocked you that badly?"

"Yeah. I have burn scars on my sides and my arms and my legs from it." She says, rolling up a sleeve of her dress to show me the red, puckered spots about the size of a silver dollar on the bottom side of her arm. "They are worse on your sides. That's where they administer the stronger shocks. The arms and the legs are just used punitive shocks, the sides are used to do the shock therapy. Every week or so."

"Oh... "

"It's fine, you don't have to say anything. If I remember correctly, you have quite a few scars too."

"Um, yeah. Some from accidents, mostly caused by Emmett, and some from the war."

"Yeah, you got shot, didn't you?"

"A few times."

"Ouch, that had to hurt."

"Well, I still have all my memories if that's what you're getting at."

She laughs, "Yeah, well, I figured so much. Is this Carlisle's tent?" She asks, pointing at his tent, picking it out from a sea of hundreds.

"Yes, how do you know?"

"You're still asking that?"

"Good point." I say, pushing aside the tent flap and gesturing for her to go in ahead of me.

She hops up on her toes and kisses me on the cheek. Just a quick little peck. But, it was still the first time I had ever been kissed.


	6. Chapter 6

"Carlisle!" She shouts into the tent "You here?"

"Yes, um... excuse me Miss, but do I now you?"

I walk in after her, and Carlisle raises his eyebrows at me.

"Is she a friend of yours Jasper?"

"Well, yes, I suppose."

"What do you know her from?"

"We met in the dinner today."

"Hello Carlisle, how are you doing?" Alice asks.

"Fine, and you?"

"Wonderful. I'm Alice."

"And, I'm Carlisle. But apparently you already knew that."

"Yes, I did."

"So... uh... what can I do for you?" He stutters.

"Well, I was looking for a place to stay tonight. I was wondering if I would stay with Alyssa and Samantha?"

"Oh, are you their mother?"

"Sure. Let's put that on the paperwork."

"Excuse me Miss, I was under the impression that their mother was dead?" I ask.

"She is, but if I'm not related to them, I can't be in the same tent with them, right?"

"Yes, that is protocol for minors under protection of the army."

"Which means I would be put with Rosalie?"

"Yes, but, how do you know her?"

"And I really don't want to trouble her, especially with how crammed it is in there already, you know, with them having to stay in the mess tent and all. We can talk to the girls first if you want, see if they are okay with it."

"Uh..." Carlisle glances around, looking confused. "Jasper?"

I shrug and gesture back at him.

"Your choice, not mine."

He bites his lip and looks Alice up and down. With her small stature and slightly sickly disposition, she didn't exactly look like the type of person to go around hurting children.

"I guess that if the girls are okay with it..." He trails off.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you Carlisle!" She squeals, throwing her arms around him.

"Uh... yes. Your welcome." He says, stiffening up.

"Come on Jasper, why don't you introduce me to the girls?"

"Sure thing." I smile.

Like everything else that had happened in the past hour, the introductions were a bit... unconventional. It seemed more like Alice already knew them, but then again, it seemed like she had been planning this day for years.

"Hello, my name is Alice, pleased to meet you Alyssa. Hey Samantha, you're planning to grow out your hair after this, right? It would be so pretty long, I could show your sister how to braid it real pretty. There's this thing one of the nurses used to do with her hair all the time, it was so pretty, I think it would work well in your hair, it has a bit of a wave to it, doesn't it? Yes, that would be cute on you."

The girls sit and stare at her as she picks up the hair ribbons off the cot and holds them against Samantha's hair.

"And this color is so pretty against your dark hair. Too bad it's too short to tie back now. Don't worry though, it'll grow back."

"Um, excuse me... who are you Ma'am?" Alyssa asks.

"Alice, like I said."

"Yes, well, do we know you?"

"I don't think so. You might though. What side of the island did you live on?"

"South tip."

"Hmm... I think I lived on the South-East part. I'm not sure though. Does the name mean anything to you?"

"Yes, there was a in our church. He's the one who's daughter went mad, poor man."

"I'm not mad. He killed my mother and I tried to tell people about it so he got rid of me." She says coolly.

Alyssa's face fell.

"Oh, uh, you're, uhm... you're her?"

"Yeah. I've spent the past two years of my life getting electro-shock therapy because he didn't want to deal with me."

"Mister Brandon?"

"Yeah."

"Your Mary Alice?"

"Yeah."

"That can't be right."

"I'm pretty sure it is." She shrugged.

She leaned over and started straightening up some stuff I had left on the floor next to my old cot earlier today.

"I'll take that." I mutter, grabbing the pack from her and swinging it onto my shoulder.

"Wait, this _really _can't be right. He said you could hardly even talk. That you thought you were a witch. That you mumbled gibberish. That you were _insane_."

"Well... I'm not." She shrugs, forcing a bit of a smile.

"I'm sorry ma'am. He just seemed so... honest."

"Yeah, well, he isn't."

"I'm sorry." She mumbles, nervously shifting her feet.

"It's fine. Really." Alice reassures.

"I'm, uh, I, eh..."

"Really," She turns around, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's fine sweetie. I've gotten much worse."

"Oh... sorry." Alyssa whispers.

She hugs her and drops to the floor before she begins to fish around under the cot, moving around my trunk and packs and a box of letters from Maria.

"Um... I'll leave you to that. I need to talk to Carlise about some paper work." I excuse myself.

-0-

When I get back, the tent is completely different. The cots have been moved so that one is against the back wall and the other against the right side, the trunks pushed to the opposite wall with a crate between the heads of the cots.

"Oh..."

"I redecorated a bit."

"Yes. I see."

"Here's your trunk, Emmett's, the cots, and the box of Maria's letters." She gestures to the little wooden box on the crate. "I figured this way you'll remember to throw them out next week."

"Excuse me?"

"Next week, you're going to throw them out. I just don't want you to forget."

"Why would I throw those out?"

She smirks and with a tip of her head, chuckles.

"You have to figure that out for yourself."


	7. Chapter 7

That night I slept with Carlisle and Alice stayed with Alyssa and Samantha. The next day we packed up camp and headed out for the checkpoint. Late in the evening I was circling around the group of civilians when my eye caught on Alice, Rosalie, and the girls.

"Hey." Alice called me over.

I dismounted and guided Ross by the reins, leading him over towards Alice and the girls. Samantha looked like she was sleep walking, so I grabbed her under her arms and swung her up onto Ross. She leaned forwards into his neck and dozed off quickly. I notice Rosalie carrying Anna.

"Let me put her up on Ross." I offer.

"No, I've got her." She says.

"Rosalie. Give her here." I sigh, taking her from her arms and laying her on Ross, leaning her against Samantha.

"Hey Rosie." Emmett mummers in her ear, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Em." She whispers back.

He slides over around to her side, letting his hand slip dangerously low. She turns her head to meet his and they kiss, slowly falling back in the pack until I lose sight of them in the crowd.

When we pulled into the checkpoint the tents were set up, Emmett showed up to take Anna to Rosalie's tent, and I took Samantha and Alyssa inside another tent. Alice layed down ext tot he on the ground and they were all sound asleep in a matter of minutes.

-0-

The next morning I woke to a start until I realized where I was. I felt my cheeks redden when I realized where I had fallen asleep. The girls were still sleeping silently, so I went outside to supervise as the camp was packed up.

"Major Jasper." Carlisle's voice calls to me from the tent next to ours.

"Yes sir?"

"Come look at this."

I walk into his tent and look over the papers sitting on the floor.

"This came in last night after everyone else was asleep."

I read through the papers.

"So.. we are staying here?"

"For a while at least. The original evacuation plans have been changed due to the fact that the base where the evacuees were going to be staying is overfilled and they are low on supplies."

"Aren't we all?"

"Well, yes, but we aren't in charge. They are. And we're to stay at our current camp until further notice."

I run a hand through my hair and nod.

"Okay. We can make this work. How are the rations?"

"They would last long enough with just our men, but with all these people? Not much."

"And the tents?"

"Still don't have any more."

"We'll give the tents to the evacuees, and the soldiers can rotate out who gets to sleep in the extras."

"I have my name on you Jasper, don't screw this up for yourself."

"I won't."

I run a hand through my hair again and put my cap on.

"Hey Jasper." Alice's voice chirps as I walk out of the tent.

"Hey." I grumble.

"What are you doing?"

"As of now? Finding some people to help unload the cots."

"I thought we weren't unpacking yet? Not until we made it to the base, right?"

"We aren't going to the base anymore. We have to stay here." I sigh.

"What? Are there enough supplies?"

"No. Not even close."

She purses her lips and places a hand on her hip.

"How about money? If we pool everyone's money, could we buy enough food?"

"Maybe, but you've seen some of these men, no way they would put up their own money for a bunch of strangers."

"Wouldn't the Army pay them back?"

"The Army? They would say they would, but no way would it ever get done."

She smirks, a devlish sort of grin.

"Do you play cards?"

"No, certainly not." I respond, a bit offended.

"Come on, you've never played Poker? Or Black Jack? I'm not saying you have to gamble, but, do you know how to play?"

"No, but... well... Emmett does." I sigh.

"And Rosalie?"

"I don't know."

"How willing do you think they would be to help out a bit?"

"Depends what you have in mind."

"Well, it depends upon how good they are."

I furrow my brow and swing the first of the cots out of the truck as she prances off to the tent Rosalie, her daughter, and presumably Emmett were staying. I shook it off and tried to continue on my work, but the thought kept nagging me all morning, what could Alice have wanted with them.

I recruited a few of the men under my command to help me give out the cots while I assigned civilians to tents. There were only a few families in this group- most of them had left in one of the earlier groups- so we had groups of four men or women in each tent. Rosalie, Alice, Alyssa, Samantha, and Anna had to share a tent with two other women since Alyssa, Samantha and Anna weren't on the official army roster. Thankfully the women were very understanding, however the sleeping arrangements were less than satisfactory.

-0-

Late the next day, Emmett invited me over to his tent. He wouldn't say why, just that Alice and Rosalie and Mason and Matt and a few old friends would be there.

"Come on, it'll be fun. You can come see Alice." He taunts.

"I'm not seeing Alice. You know that." I reply, trying to keep a patient tone.

"Please, you aren't fooling anyone, besides, even Maria's brother agrees that she's a bi-"

"Don't you dare finish that with what I think you were going to say."

"What? Bitch? Well, she is."

"You haven't even met her, and you will not speak of a woman like that."

"God Jasper, do you have to be such a goodie two-shoes!" He groans.

I shut my eyes and rub a hand down my face. Some times I wonder if I really am the youngest.

"Come on, we're just getting together for some fun. We figured we'll be here for a while, why not set up a gambling ring. And Matt wanted to invite you, but I was like 'nu-uh, Jasper 'll never go for that!' but he was like 'come on, just give the boy a chance' so here I am, inviting you to our illegal gambling club and you're turning it down. Probably going to go rat us out to Daddy too." He teases, making exaggerated faces and raising his voice into that of a five year olds when recall the fake conversation.

I roll my eyes and groan at his terrible acting, but start off towards the tent he and Mason were sharing.

"Wait, you're coming?" He asks excitedly.

"Yes." I mumble.

"Yes!" He cheers, taking my by the hand and squealing, running and skipping off to his tent like the overgrow child that he is.

-0-

I walk into the tent to find our friends, minus Carlisle, sitting around something on the floor.

"What are you-"

I'm cut off by the sight of a deck of cards, dealt around to the different people, a pile of money in the middle and a hand of cards in front of every one, the deck in front of Rosalie.

"Emmett!" I hiss, "What is this?"

"What? I told you we were playing cards." He says in a normal voice.

"I thought you were kidding about the gambling ring."

"Well now, you see," He starts in a know-it-all, teasing tone, "It isn't necessarily a ring, it's more of a horse shoe. Rosalie, Mason and I always play, we're about to clean Matt off here."

Matt looks up from the ground and forces a grin, then goes back to worriedly looking at his cards, before dropping them on the ground.

"I fold." He sighs, pushing a wad of money into the middle and walking out of the tent.

"You don't fold in black-jack." Emmett calls after him.

"You got the money already, just be happy." He shouts back.

"How did you-"

"I know a few tricks." Rosalie cuts me off. "Counting cards. Rigging decks. Labeling the backs. These idiots don't know the difference."

She says.

"You've been tricking people into playing you, then cheating and taking all their money?" I ask, purely astonished.

"Pretty much." She confirms, nodding her head and re-positioning herself.

I look to Alice, raising my eyebrows.

"What? You said you needed money and that no one would be willing to give anything to the army."

"Wait a minute, you set this up?"

"Yeah, I figured Emmett probably knew how to count cards, and it turns out Rosalie is a master at this stuff."

I run a hand through my hair and let out a long sigh.

"Man, you're gona' go bald pretty soon if you keep that up." Emmett says, sitting next to Rosalie and taking the deck in his hands, shuffling andre aranging the cards for the next game.

"Then it'll be your fault. Again."

"That wasn't my fault! How was I supposed to know you would lay on it without checking."

"You're right Emmett, it's my fault that I didn't check my pillow every night before I went to sleep when I was five. I do now though, so no worries." I shout.

"Woah! You need to chill. We already go you like fifty dollars."

"Give it back." I say simply.

"What?" Rosalie squeaks. "I worked hard for this money and you want me to give it back?"

"Yes. It isn't yours anyway."

"Yes it is, we won it."

"No, you stole it." I mutter, my tone measured as I take the cards from Emmett's hand.

"Hey, you think it's easy to count cards while flirting with these perverts you have in your camp?" She responds, near shouting.

I grit my teeth and sit on the cot.

"Just give him the damn money." Mason mutters.

"Why should we! Why don't we go buy the food ourselves? He want's to let the camp starve? Fine, that's his choice, but this is mine!" She shouts.

"God, cool down!" Mason shouts back, grabbing her wrists.

"Don't you dare tell _me_ to cool down!" she spits.

He glares at her, then drops her wrists.

"It isn't my fault for what you've done with your life." He hisses.

She clenches her jaw.

"No, but it is your fault for what you've done to it." She whispers.

My hand reaches out and snaps onto the back of his collar, swinging him around to face me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask.

"Shit." He whispers under his breath.

Emmett, who is standing next to me, reaches out a hand, shoving his thumb and index finger under his jaw.

"You little..." He trails off, walking towards the tent flap, forcing Mason to stumble along in front of him.

Once they are out of the tent, I turn back to Rosalie who has tears dripping down her face but a set jaw and clenched fists.

"Rosalie... did he really-"

"Yes." She interrupts, he voice perfectly steady despite the tears in her eyes. "He did. But that's not it."

She swallows and collapses against the cot.

"It's what he said, about what I've done with my life. It wasn't my fault. I thought I was doing the right thing. One day I was going outside to meet my fiance and there was a baby on the porch. It had a note that said it was my brother's. My father was furious, he was going to get rid of it and I said I would take care of it but he wouldn't let me because he was afraid my fiance would break the deal. So I took her and ran away. I didn't have a clue how to get by on my own and when someone offered me money, I took it. No matter what they wanted in return. Eventually I decided to tell people she was mine. It was just easier, I mean, no one finds anything weird about a whore having a kid."

"Anna isn't yours?" I ask.

"No, I had small pox when I was little. I barely survived, but I can't have any children. But don't tell her. She thinks I'm her mother, and she will for as long as I'm concerned."

"I won't."

Alice sits next to her on the cot, patting her shoulder.

Emmett comes back in, hands in his pockets.

"What did you do to him?" I ask.

"He'll live. In what condition, I'm not sure."

Alice stands up and he sits down in her place, next to Rosalie, who picks herself up into a sitting position, sodding into his shoulder.

"That outta' give him a run for his money." He mutters, kicking a rock across the ground.

"I didn't hear that. I was never in here." I say, backing out.

Emmett nods in my direction, I take Alice by the hand and walk out of the tent.

"You won't tell Carlisle about the money?" She asks.

"What money? As far as I'm concerned, you were talking to Rosalie and Emmett over lunch while I was taking inventory."

She smiles, giving my hand a squeeze.

"And if the money just so happened to end up as an anonymous donation, I wouldn't have a clue where it came from."

She grins again, looking off into the distance.

-0-

That night, I threw out the note from Maria.

* * *

**AN: What do you think? I personally didn't like the beginning, but I had to get that information out there for this scene to make sense. I'm on Emmett's side for the fight obviously. I really wanted to get Rosalie's story out there and this seemed like the best way to do that. Thanks for reading, please review! :)**


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